It's hard to find a peaceful spot to reflect and unwind (Netflix aside) in Toronto. But, where do you go when you want to temporarily get away from it all? A lakefront trail? A hidden courtyard? Maybe you find your centre in an empty art gallery or museum?

While Toronto seems crowded and chaotic much of the time, there are plenty of urban oases dotted throughout our sprawling metropolis that let us forget we're situated in one of the largest cities in North America.

Some of the places that come to mind immediately are the Leslie Street Spit, the top of the Scarborough Bluffs, Ward's Island Beach, Crothers' Woods, Edwards Gardens, Ireland Park, the Rouge Valley, and Mount Pleasant Cemetery. But there are so many more little spots tucked away in this city, it seems like a group effort is required to put together a list.

We polled our Twitter followers and asked them about their favourite peaceful spots. Some, understandably, refused to give theirs up, but many others chimed in with suggestions. Here's what they had to say. Add your nominations in the comments.

Photo by Ilia Alshanetsky in the blogTO Flickr pool.